在家 · 村里 · 请他进来 · 我的朋友大卫
four handy kinds of phrase: where something happens (在 + place), in or on a place (place + 里／上), asking someone to do something (请 + person + verb), and two names for the same person side by side
What it means
Four handy phrase types: 在 + place for where something happens, thing + 里／上 to make a place, 请／让 + person + verb, and two nouns for the same person side by side.
How it is built
在 + place + verb: 在城市打工 (work in a city). Thing + 里／上: 桌子上, 村里. 请／让 + person + verb: 请大卫进来 (ask David to come in). Noun + noun: 我的朋友大卫 (my friend David).
When to use it
In 请／让 + person + verb, the person is both the one you ask and the one who acts: 老师让我们接着读课文. Side-by-side nouns also work for groups: 我们老百姓, 你们年轻人.
Watch out
在 + place goes before the verb: ✗ 打工在城市. A thing or building needs 里／上 (在房间里), but city and country names don’t: ✓ 在北京 ✗ 在北京里.